We will always be brothers
by GLACIER3
Summary: A strong friendship, forged by time. A new family, with new adventures. In this new world of chaos, will Kai and Zane, who promised to look out for each other, be capable to keep their word? People say that time heals everything, but does it really? Written by Jens and GLACIER3
1. The past makes you who you are

_We will always be brothers_

* * *

 **Hi there! This is NOT a story that follows Ninjago's plot nor timeline.**

 **Review down below for motivating us to write chapters a bit faster and of course, you can ask for a one-shot.**

 **Updates are for every Wednesdays.**

 **Jens and I thought about writing a story** **together, and this came up. O_o**

 **Enjoy!**

 **By GLACIER3 and Jens**

 **And onto The Chapter!**

* * *

 _Chapter 1_

"Wake up, Kai! " Zane opened his window and knocked Kai, his neighbour's window. Kai stirred, then yawned. He opened an eye and took a glance out his window.

"I don' wanna go…" he rolled on his bed, then fell out entirely with his blankets, with a muffled "oof!" Zane chuckled to himself. He wondered when Kai would stop falling out of his bed. As he contested that Kai hadn't got up yet, he knocked another time on the window pane, a bit harder this time. Eventually, Kai's uncombed hair poked out from under the bed, and stared with sleepy at Zane. Kai grunted, then got up to get prepared for school.

As always, he took a good deal of time in front of his mirror, tiding his hair and checking himself out. He heard Zane's muffled voice from his room, which reminded him that he was going to be late for school. He threw on his bright-red anorak, then dashed down the stairs.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad," he called out gloomily to his parents who were sitting on the sofa, watching tv. As usual, he didn't get an answer. The fourteen years old boy hesitated a moment between going to meet Zane, who was waiting impatiently in front of the door, and to the fridge to get a something for breakfast. He ended up choosing breakfast. He opened the fridge, then took a look in it up and down, vainly searching for something to eat. He slammed it shut, then said angrily:

"Mom, why is the fridge always empty? You could find time to go to buy something!"

"But you see, I don't HAVE any time," his mother replied, her eyes fixed to the screen. "I'm busy."

"Busy doing what? Watching tv?" Kai felt himself boiling.

"Yeah," she replied faintly.

"And Kai, how many times have we told you to call us "Mother and Father", not Mom and Dad?" his father spoke up.

"A hundred times," Kai sighed. "See you this afternoon, Mother and Father." Kai hissed as he slammed the door behind him.

"Kai, what took you so long?!" Zane asked his best friend as Kai stepped out of the house like a hurricane. "Oh, your parents again, I guess?"

"Don't talk about it," Kai mumbled, walking rapidly next to Zane. Zane nodded. He knew very well that Kai's parents were very irresponsible. Kai thought about his them. They never took care of Kai, never cared about how well he was doing at school. Most of the time, they went to the fast-food shop, as they were incapable (or too lazy?) to make dinner by them selves. When Kai was younger, he used to have excellent scores at school. But as time passed, he understood that it was useless to have good scores to make his parents happy. Rather, he realised that the more he grew up, the more his parents became unhappy. He tried to understand the reason, but he never did. So a big wall started to build between him and his parents. At first, Kai started to show his discontent by creating troubles, but all that did was thicken the wall. His father started to yell at him, and tell him everyday how useless he was. Then one day, as Kai was all alone in the basement, punished by his father for having a fight with a classmate, his parents came in and told Kai that form now on, Kai will have to call them "Mother and Father". And that did it. Kai felt as if a massive block of ice had hit his heart, and frozen it. At that moment, Kai had understood that his parents didn't want his love. Or worse, they simply didn't want him. His heart cried for a long time.

That was seven years ago.

Zane, who hadn't spoken a word on the to going to school, asked Kai suddenly:

"Hey, what do you say to coming to play at my house today? It's been ages."

Kai, snapped out of his dark thoughts, answered after a while:

"Yeah, why not? It'll do me good." After a while, he laughed.

"What? What's making you laugh?" Zane asked, curious.

"Well, I was thinking about the first time we met. Do you remember?"

Zane smiled. "Of course. How could I forget?"

It was a deadly hot day. Zane, four years old, tried to block the burning rays of light with his tiny white hands while squinting up to the sun. He had his feet plunged in the cold water of the stream flowing next to his house. As he was a boy who almost never went out of his house, all this was quite a new experience to him. He heard footsteps behind him. He turned his head around, then bent his neck to look up at his mother.

"Hi Mom," he chirruped as his mother bent down on her knees to sit beside him.

"Hello, Cupcake," his mother said. "What are you doing?" she asked in a soft voice.

"I'm looking at the trees," he added seriously, his brows knitted oddly in confusion. "I think I saw something move. Do you think it's a furry manimal?"

"Cupcake dear, it's not manimal, it's animal," his mother corrected.

"A-ni-mal-seu." The young boy repeated, then smiled genuinely. "Do you think it's a furry animal?"

"Yes, probably. But don't touch it, alright? It might hurt you. Well, come back soon! It's almost time for lunch!" she said as she kissed her son on the head. Zane clutched her hand eagerly. "Don't go, Mom!" he pleaded, looking up at her with puppy eyes. His mother knelt down once more.

"I have to go to watch the soup," she told him. "You don't want the soup to burn, do you?"

Zane nodded sadly, and let go of her hand. When she had gone back into the house, he mumbled:

"I don't like soup."

The young boy's head shot up as he heard the bushes on the other side of the stream rustle. A horribly messy head poked up from the leaves, leaving a startled Zane staring. The brown head spoke brutally:

"What? You wan my photo?!"

Zane, not knowing what to say, asked randomly:

"Why are you so furry?"

"Wha…" Kai made an attempt to flat his hair down. "Then why is your hair so.. euh… white?" the other boy shot back awkwardly.

"My hair's not white, they're platinum blond," Zane replied.

"Oh. Whatever. And by the way, mah name's Kai. Who are you?"

"Sorry, Dad said that I can't tell my name to strangers," Zane answered in a tiny voice.

"Huh. You're funny," Kai tilted his head to take a good look at the pale boy. "Guess I'm gonna call ya Muffin head."

"Hey, my name's not muffin head! My name's Zane!" Zane protested, vexed that Kai called him a funny name, before realising his mistake. "Oops."

Kai laughed. "You see, this trick works with everyone," he explained. "How do I get over to you, Zane?"

Zane looked around him. "I don't know," he replied sincerely. He gasped as Kai jumped into the cold water, and his head disappeared in the current. His head poked out a few seconds later, gasping for air. He disappeared back in the water again.

"KAI!" Zane screamed, and he bent over too far in the water, his hand reaching out to Kai, but he resulted in a splash. He gasped for air, but inhaled water instead. He coughed and spluttered, waving his arms about in the hope to get out. Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath him. He stopped moving, and slowly put his feet down on the ground. He stood up, then looked at Kai awkwardly. They both snickered, then they burst out laughing both at the same time.

"Well, at least you got to join me on this side," Zane commented as they squeezed the corner of their clothes to get them dry as fast as possible. Kai shrugged, and continued squeezing. He shivered.

"Aren't ya cold? I'm freezing."

"No, not really," Zane replied. "I think that if we laid on our back, we would get more heat from the sun."

"Huh. Not bad," Kai murmured as he laid down on the grass, imitating Zane. He sighed of contentment as he felt the warm sunshine penetrate into his skin, and travel all along his body. They laid down there for a long moment, enjoying this moment. That was, until a high-pitched voice came by.

* * *

 **GLACIER3:**

 **Hope you all enjoyed, and make sure to review down below for one-shots! (¯(●●)¯)**

 **Jens:**

 **Well, as GLACIER said everything, I have not much to say XD**

 **Plus, we don't take OC application for this story, sorry. In the one-shots, though, it's possible.**

 **GLACIER3 and Jens: Bye bye! See you next week!**


	2. Candies and a Call

_Chapter 2_

* * *

 **Jens here! This chapter got posted way faster than we predicted, but anyway. I think that updates are not for every Wednesdays, but for... when they're ready, I guess.**

 **NinjaChief547: Hey, thanks for the review! It's the first story that I wrote, and it's nice to know that there's someone who likes it. ^^**

 **GLACIER3 Is back!(my back?) Yup, I know, this chapter came really fast. And yeah, nothing to say, as always.**

 **NinjaChief547: OMG thanks so much you are the first reviewer! You definitely deserve a shout out and a one-shot! And yeah, the story becomes way better when Jens is** **involved.**

 **GLACIER3 and Jens: Whatever, Enjoy and onto The Chapter!**

* * *

 _"Oh Cupcake! You're wet!" Zane's mother shrieked. She precipitated to her son, and picked him up in her arms, cuddling him in her arms to warm him up. Zane wriggled to get out of her grip, stumbling on his feet when landing on the ground. His mother finally noticed Kai, who had got up to his feet as soon as he heard her scream. She frowned, and asked, in a gentle yet suspicious voice:_

 _"Cupcake, who is this?"_

 _Kai, hearing the name Cupcake, puffed, then covered his mouth with his two hands to prevent himself from laughing. Seeing that Zane's mother was still looking at him, he replied, taking a glance at Zane:_

 _"Hello, Ma'am. My name is Kai, and I'm your new neighbour."_

 _Zane's eyes lightened up when he heard that Kai was his new neighbour. He giggled, and hopped over to Kai, screaming:_

 _"So hat means that we can meet each other more often! I'm sooooo happy!"_

 _Kai laughed also. Zane jumped onto Kai, taking Kai down on the floor with him, rolling over and over in the grass together. Zane's mom shook her head, smiling. After a while, when she came back with a picnic basket, she found the children fast asleep, with cuddled together, with Zane's head resting on Kai's shoulder._

"So," Kai said as he flopped down on Zane's bed, "what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should get doing homework." Zane replied.

"Man, you aren't fun! We came to your house to get a break, not do some homework! Gimme some ideas, I'm totally tired." They'd had sport that day at school, and Kai, as usual, had burnt up all his energy in that.

"What about going out in town?" Zane suggested.

"Euh… Any better ideas?"

"…Do you?"

"Alright then. Let's go!" Kai jumped up on his feet. At the door, he asked: "You mind if I use the bathrooms?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course you can, silly." Zane replied.

"Dunno, I'm used to that question." Kai laughed, then disappeared in the hallway. Zane chuckled. Ever since he had met Kai, Kai hadn't changed. Some habits are very hard to change.

The two friends walked down the street, looking time to time in shop windows in search for something interesting. Kai often stopped in front of the large windows, and would eventually pass his fingers in his hair. Zane wondered how someone could become that much obsessed by their own hair, before concluding that this was a second nature within Kai. Kai put his hands in his pockets. Naturally, as his parents didn't give him any pocket money, he had to work to get some. He often took care of the children in the neighbourhood, or took the dogs for a walk. Both of them were actually more tiring than it could seem. He sometimes envied his friend, who had such a wonderful family who took care of their son. Suddenly, Zane asked:

"Kai, what are you thinking about?"

"Euh… I was thinking, how about going over… there!" he pointed to a random direction, which landed on the bakery. "I'd like to buy some candies." Kai didn't want his friend to know that he envied him. Actually, he didn't want him to know anything about his sadness.

"Oh yeah! It's been seriously long time that I hadn't eaten any, I even forgot how they tasted like…" Zane ecstasies.

"They have a big variety of tastes, you know, the ones I prefer are the spicy ones. Also, the…"

And a long discussion about candies started. Zane, who happened to be an expert in this domain, went on explaining to Kai about their fabrication. To which Kai resented a disgust.

"Zane, let's stop talking about this. I prefer not to know what crap there are in these candies." Kai interrupted Zane, who was just finishing reciting his list of components in chewing-gums.

"Wait, I've almost finished! And they put colorants for…"

"Okay, okay, I got it. Your parents work in a candy factory, or what?"

"No, my mom works in a scientific laboratory, and she's currently examining the structures of this new plant that they discovered. I don't know what it is, it's supposed to be kept secret. And dad is a martial arts master: he teaches judo, kung-fu, karate, jujitsu and a bit of ninjutsu."

"Oh wow! So does he teach you some techniques? Can you do cool stuff?" Kai asked, bewildered.

"No, not yet. Dad doesn't want me to learn them yet. I'm not very sure of the reason, but I'm having a guess that it's because he doesn't want me to get involved in any fights nor wars. Not after what he'd experienced." Zane answered.

"Oh. What happened to him during war?"

"He died."

"Ah, he… WHAT!? Then how come… Oh yeah, that explains a lot. That's why he's a robot, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Who built him?"

"My mom."

"When did it happen?"

"A little before I was born. So I never got to know how my father was before he was a robot." Zane replied. "But mom says that he never changed, only the physical appearance."

"Uh-huh." Kai nodded as he pushed open the bakery's door. "So your mom's a great inventor, isn't she?"

"I guess we could say so," Zane thought for a while before answering.

"What do you mean by that?" Kai asked as they stuffed candies in paper bags that were handed to them.

"It's not her who drew the blue prints to build dad, she kind of… found them."

"What, she found them on the ground?" Kai asked, disbelieving.

"I don't know." Zane's reply was sharp. "I prefer not to ask these questions to mom, it can arise bad memories, you know?"

"Oh." Kai stuttered: "I..I'm sorry if I offended you with my questions, did I…"

"No, Kai, don't be sorry!" Zane soothed him. "I'm not sad about it, just… let's not talk about this when my parents are around." He then smiled: "And we don't say 'sorry' between brothers, right?"

"Brothers?" Kai questioned, his amber coloured eyes lighting up, meeting Zane's striking blue eyes. "That's… cool!"

They laughed. "Then I take back my sorry.," Kai added.

As they considered that they had taken enough candies, they went up to the counter to pay. A big, hairy man, who sat behind the tiny counter reading a magasine, looked up slightly as the two teenagers approached. He huffed as he weighed the candies, then he said aloud:

"That'll be four dollars."

Kai and Zane put their hands in their pockets in search for money. They looked at each other in the same mouvement as they found out that they had nothing. Kai zipped down his red anorak, and searched the other pockets in his jumper, but still found nothing. Kai whispered to Zane:

"Shall we run?"

Zane shook his head firmly. Kai sighed, and told the shopkeeper:

"We forgot to take our money."

The shopkeeper groaned, then boomed:

"Well if ya've got no'ing, don't comma disturb me! Now go away, next time you'd be'er have your money! Go put the stuff back in their boxes!"

"Pfft. And he really thinks that there'll be a "next time" ?!" Kai mocked, turning to Zane. Zane shrugged, then went on to put the candies back in their box.

As they did so, Zane said loudly:

"Kai, we must put the candies in their respectful places." Kai grunted:

"I KNOW, Zane! Can't you…" He stopped when he looked up at Zane, and saw what he was doing. Instead of putting the candies back , Zane was putting a few of them IN his pockets. Kai was surprised, but soon recovered and processed to do the same.

When they had estimated that they had taken enough (which was quite a lot), they scurried out of the shop and ran away, just for in case. They stopped at the park to catch their breath, as Kai sat down on the grass and Zane collapsed in the grass. After a while, Kai panted, laughing:

"Zane, I.. I didn't know that you could do… these kind of things!"

Zane laughed also, and replied back:

"You're influential, you know that?"

A phone call came, vibrating in Kai's pocket. Kai flipped it out, smiling, but it dropped completely as he read who was calling him. Zane leaned over to see what made Kai so unhappy. And as he expected, it was his dad. Kai wondered WHY would his dad call him. He had never called him on his phone, except the time when Kai had had a verbal fight with the teachers. So he waited for the worse.

"Hello? Dad? Why did you…" Kai was interrupted by his angry shout:

"KAI! Come back right now at home, you son of a *****!"

"Hey! I'm here, you know!" Kai heard his mother shout, vexed by the insult.

"But father, what did I do?!" Kai asked, bewildered by the violence used in his language.

"YOU KNOW SO WELL WHAT YOU DID!" Kai's father bellowed, causing Kai to back away in pain. "COME BACK HERE AT ONCE!" and he hang up.

"...Are you really going?" Zane asked, his eyes meeting Kai's, frowned in concern. Kai sighed, then got up.

"Do I really have a choice?"

* * *

 **GLACIER3: Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Jens: Do you wanna know why Zane's mom calls him Cupcake? Have a guess, it's not hard. :p**

 **GLACIER3 and Jens: See you soon!** **Bibye!**


	3. Hard time

Chapter 3: Hard time

* * *

 **Jens:**

 **AmberShadow: Glad you liked it! This is, actually, my first fanfic. Yeah, Muffin head. Am I the only person who thought of it before or not? ;P**

 **RJ: So here's your update! Hope you enjoy! Thank you ❤️**

 **GLACIER3:**

 **So yeah.**

 **RJ: KAI IS GONNA DIE! No just joking. Well, you'll see in this chapter! And thanks for the continued support!**

 **AmberShadow: Yeah lol Muffin head lololol!**

* * *

 _How did he find out? Why is it always me who's punished?_ Kai asked himself as he sat in the basement, his hair messed up by his father who had dragged him down the flight of stairs leading to the basement. His father had locked him down here for all the day and the night, with no food nor water. He looked around in the dark. This was at least the third time he'd been here in this year, and he hated it. He hated the musky smell of his father's collection of mushrooms heaped in the corner. He hated these walls, stained with the alcohol that his father drank every night. He hated this floor, always so cold and unwelcoming. But most of all, he hated himself for being nostalgic for his past. He looked at their old ping-pong table, all battered and smashed, laying sadly in the corner. Kai remembered that when he was younger, his father used to play with him, with his mother lifting her son up to help him get at the height of the table. Kai often won, and had thought naively that he was awesome. His parents made him believe so. And now… he didn't understand. Why? Why did this change so much? Was it just his parents that changed? Or is the time changing everything? Kai felt tears pricking his eyes. He took a shaky breath as he got up, and wobbled over to the ping-pong table, his legs stiffened by the cold floor. He cast a longing look at it, his hand traveling over the smooth material. As his hand got to the edge, Kai squeezed his fists, and gave a fatal punch in the table, smashing through the table, breaking it in half. He stared unemotionally at his fist, bleeding due to the shards of wood planted into it. He sighed, then let himself slide down the wall, sitting down faced to the table. _Kai, why do you still stay here when nobody loves you?_ he asked himself.

ººººººººººººº

Zane was worried. He wasn't stupid: he had noticed that Kai was closing in more and more on himself. He talked less, and was very often lost in his thoughts, despite the fact that Zane tried his best to talk as much as possible to him. Zane sighed, then rolled over on his side to try to get in a more confortable position. How could one get to sleep when he knows that his best friend was punished, maybe even suffering? He rolled onto his stomach, then resigned, he huffed and got up to change ideas. He dragged his feet to the kitchen, and got a bowl of warm milk, just the way he liked it, with a spoon of honey inside. As he climbed up the stairs, he thought he heard something thump. Intrigued, he quickened his steps, and kicked the door open because his hands were full. The door creaked open, and Zane found nothing unusual. His room was just as he left it. He carefully put his bowl down on his bedside table, and looked around. He decided to see if it was something outside, so he went over to the window, and cried of surprise as a pebble shot past his head, missing him only of a few millilitres.

"Oops. Sorry," a familiar voice drifted up.

"K..Kai?! What are you doing here?" Zane leaned out of the window, checking the surroundings. "Meet me at the back door," he whispered.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Zane asked while preparing the same drink as his for Kai. Kai shrugged while stroking absent-mindedly Zane's pet falcon, Falcon. The day that Zane found him as a tiny baby fallen from his nest, Zane must have had absolutely no inspiration, which explains why he is named Falcon.

"Dunno." Kai replied. Zane raised his eyebrows, and turning to Kai, handed him the bowl of milk. Kai took it with his two hands, mumbling a thank you. Zane noticed instantaneously the hurt hand, and flew over to his friend, eyes wide open in horror. He took Kai's hands, and stared at the bloody knuckle. Falcon squawked, and backed away, surprised. Kai as equally surprised at the sudden mouvement, and looked at his friend.

"What are you…" He was interrupted by Zane's angry shout:

"What have they done to you?! Kai, is it your parents who did this? Gosh, why didn't I ever notice before…?"

Kai didn't know what to say. It wasn't his parents, but in a way, it was. If it wasn't because of them. he would never have hurt himself. Zane hung his head. Kai's eyebrows furrowed in concern as he saw Zane's shoulders shaking. Was he… crying?!

"H..hey, Zane, what's up?" As Zane didn't respond, Kai said softly: "Zane. Look at me." he pleaded: "Please. Tell me what's up."

Zane lifted his head, tears streaking his pale face. He choked:

"It's my fault… Kai, I'm… I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything…" then, wiping his tears, he yelled: "Why… WHY didn't you tell me anything?!"

Kai felt sorry for his friend. Kai was always depressed, lost in his dark thoughts, and had never noticed how much Zane cared for him. Zane had always been there for him, supporting him and trying his best to cheer him up in his worst moments. Kai had thought that even if he didn't say anything, Zane would understand. Zane continued:

"Did you really think that I'm happy to see you like this? I want you to be happy. Please… Tell me it's not them. Tell me they won't hurt you anymore…"

 _Yes. Zane's human, like everyone else, he needs reassuring. He needs to know from my own words that I'm okay. So now, it's my turn to be there for him._

"No, Zane. It's not them, they didn't hurt me. It's me, I was just a bit angry to… myself," Kai said. He squeezed his friend's hand. "And hey, d…don't cry! I..I don't know what to do when you do that!"

Zane looked up.

"Yes. You're right. I'm not the one who should be crying," he said, and wiping away his tears, blurted: "Kai, come and live with me. With me and my family: You'll be my brother!"

Kai was taken back by surprise. He didn't know what to say; even though his parents were so unkind to him, they were still his parents, after all. But will it change anything if he wasn't there? Finally, he decided:

"Uh… Zane, I don't know, this isn't something that I can decide… well, you know, they're my family and all, so…"

"Yes, I understand that this isn't an easy decision. Take your time to think about it," Zane answered. "And remember, we will always welcome you."

"We?" Kai scoffed. "Do you think that your parents would want me? I doubt so."

"We'll see," Zane shrugged. "My parents aren't like yours."

At that moment, Falcon came flapping over, and did a catastrophic landing on the table, slipping all the way but being caught successfully in Zane's arms.

ºººººººººººººº

"Zane?"

"Hm?" came a sleepy reply.

"What about going out? I'm bored," Kai whispered. For a few moments, no noise was to be heard, and Kai thought that his friend had fallen asleep again. He prepared to shake him, but Zane suddenly got up, with blankets soaring, and exclaimed:

"Are you crazy?! We're supposed to SLEEP!"

"But I CAN'T sleep!"

"Argh." Zane flopped back on his bed. "And I guess that you've made up your mind about this?"

"Yep." Kai replied happily.

"And that I wouldn't be able to stop you from going?"

"Nope."

"Then I'm coming with you. Come on, get dressed, then." Zane sighed.

"I know, I'm irresistible," Kai boasted, pushing his hair back in the right place, and jumped out of bed. And much to Zane's dismay, Kai was already dressed. He knew Zane too well. "Check me out," Kai said. Zane observed his friend up and down.

 _Okay, so he's got a black pants. He's got his fluorescent sneakers. Nothing unusual… But wait… this red leather jacket's new…_

"Kai, why do I have a feeling that you're dressed for a party?" Zane asked.

"'Cause that's where we're going!" Kai almost shouted. "Come on, come on, show me what you've got." He pulled out Zane's drawers, rummaging inside furiously.

"No, Kai! We aren't going to a party!" Zane tried in vain to pull the party boy out of his clothes, but in vain. Kai got up, and with his arms full of clothes, beamed:

"Even though your clothes are all out of mode, never mind. I found a few cool stuffs," and he hustled Zane into the bathroom to get him changed.

"But Kaaaai! I can't go!" Zane wailed, clutching at the door while Kai pulled his other hand.

"Yes you can! All you gotta do is to be a good boy and listen to me!" Kai gritted through his teeth.

"But listening to you would be doing all the opposite of being a good boy!"

"Did you just say that I'm a bad boy?" Kai asked as an image of himself with sunglasses, all in black and red, walking in the street like a badass floated into his mind. "I'm okay with that," he concluded as he finally managed to pull the reluctant teen inside.

* * *

 **Jens: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. And I promise, in the next chapters, there will be less sad moments. Oh, and I have a question for you guys: Do you find the chapters too long? If it is, I'll cut them in half.**

 **GLACIER3: Jens is right. It's a bit sad. But yeah, It's soon Jens birthday, tell her happy birthday on my other story called Ninjago Festival! It's her birthday present! And Jens, I FORBID you to read it for now! Saturday, you can.**

 **GLACIER3 and Jens: Byebye!**


	4. Party

**Jens: I'm... back. *head hanging low* I'm** **soooooo sorry for not updating for almost one month, it's just that I had so much to do! Exams, friends leaving to the other side of the world, author's block...**

 **Kai: No. Shut up, Jens. You have NO excuse. Just... get on with the story before I...**

 **Jens: Ok! *scurries away from him***

 **So, on with the reviews answers! (thank you so much for the reviews! ^^)**

 **RJ: You remind me of myself! XDDD I experienced the same thing as you, except that I was at school and that I was crying to try to stop all the 3 teachers to stop them from doing that to me.**

 **Ninjachief547: Yeah, I haven't thought about that! I was rather thinking about his hair... Oh, and sorry I didn't answer to your review for the 2nd chapter! I don't know what got into me**

 **TheAmberShadow: You're right to get a bad feeling about this. Yeah, Kai's father's a bit too hard on him, don't you think? Just because he steals candies, doesn't mean that you can lock poor children up in the basement. 'Cause not all kids are perfect! Also, I named the falcon "Falcon" because I am terrible at giving names.**

* * *

A spiky head poked out of a street corner, followed by an another, less spiky and rather rectangular, both peering at the road. The spiky one huffed, and suddenly dashed forward, but was pulled back by the neck violently by someone.

"OW WHAT AR…" Kai was stopped by a hand cupped over his mouth.

"Shhhhh…" Zane answered, and beckoned Kai to look over at their right. Kai shook the hand off his mouth, and looked over. There was a band of boys in the corner, apparently having a deep conversation. Kai squinted his eyes, who lit up when he recognised the boys.

"Hey guys!" he shouted, bouncing out of the corner. Zane stretched his arm out rapidly in a tentative to bring Kai back, but brought his arm back to himself in the fear to be seen by the band of boys. Did Kai know them? Surely, yes, but how?

The boys turned abruptly when they heard Kai's voice. They seemed stressed. Zane noticed that they hid something behind them before turning to Kai.

"Hey, Kai! What are you doing here so late?" a boy with thick, black hair called out. He slapped Kai on the back, as another boy with extremely short hair put a hand on Kai's shoulder. Kai looked nervously around, looking at the boys one by one. He didn't recognise most of them. _They're seven…I didn't know that they would be that many…_ He thought, with a fake smile plastered on his face. For a millisecond, he regretted bringing Zane into this mess, and hoped that Zane wouldn't show up. Certes, he knew these guys, so he also knew that they weren't the kind of people that a boy as innocent as Zane should stick around. Well, not only Zane, Kai shouldn't even be here in the first place.

 _Should I go?_ Zane asked himself. _These "friends" don't seem very reassuring to me… But they seem nice to Kai… Oh well. Anyway, a real friend shouldn't let his friend face the danger himself._ Zane took his courage in his hands, and stepped out boldly of the shadows. The band of boys stared at Zane, who stood still under the pale light of the post lamp, his traits accentuating. Zane stared coldly at them, trying to look as firm as possible.

"Who's this guy?" A tall blond boy, with eyes as dark as the shadows themselves spoke up. "I didn't hear that you would be bring a friend, Kai."

"And I didn't hear that you would bring YOUR friends, uh… James?" Kai answered back.

Zane approached them furtively, his white sneakers silent against the pavement. Kai almost felt trapped between the bodies of his "friends" that he had met in the street last night. Why did he ever accept to come to their party? And mostly, why did he have to drag Zane down with him?!

James was surprised himself. Who was this kid who didn't seem to be a kid?! Zane's image of the all-mighty broke down when he shot a friendly smile to the band of boys.

"Hello," he said. If this situation was less tense, Kai would have laughed.

"What kind of party are we going to?" Zane asked Kai to try to start a conversation. He didn't like this feeling to be circled by Jame's band who were "guiding" them to the party. Kai shrugged, even though he knew very well where they were going to. But he had no idea of all the people who would actually be there…

The party hall was immense. Zane squinted his nose as a wave of smells, a mix of alcohol, sweat, tabac and strong parfume attacked his delicate senses when James pushed open the big wooden door to let them in. He observed the room in awe. It was almost as if he had come to a whole new univers. Beams of green light flashed around, occasionally shooting painfully into his eyes. The noise was deafening: Everybody shouted, trying to be heard over the music that resonated. In the back of the room, where everyone could see, was a group of musicians, screaming and yelling incomprehensible language, rather noise, into the microphone. Kai lowered his feet as he felt Zane's stare dig into him. He was ashamed to be here, but is wasn't as if he could come back on his decision. James approached them, and, putting his hands behind Kai and Zane's backs, pushed them to the drink counter.

"So, kiddos, aren't you thirsty?" James asked with his deep, fluid voice. Seeing that Kai and Zane were hesitant, James said: "I would understand that you are way too young to be capable of doing this…"

Kai picked up the challenge. Without second thoughts, he spat:

"Of course we can!" he looked to Zane for support, who frowned, but didn't say anything. Kai turned to the barman and ordered two glasses of cocktails. They were served with a tall glass filled with a blue-sky liquid. It reflected on Kai's face, creating a melancholic effect before he gulped it all down in a shot. Zane looked at Kai, mentally sighing, before doing the same. The liquid burnt his cheeks, then his throat as it when down. He shuddered.

 _I just hope this won't do us too much effect…_ he thought.

The two teenagers burst out of the party hall. Kai was red, and Zane kept a serious face. They walked at a fast pace, and kept their heads high. At a certain distance, however, Kai came to a stop. Zane stopped also, realising that his friend wasn't following, and tilted his head to one side. They made a step to each other. Then another. And another until they were only an inch from each other. Kai smirked, and Zane gave a wide smile. All of a sudden, Kai burst out in a fit of laughter, followed by Zane. The teenager in red ran over to a puddle, and bending down, stared down at his reflection. He giggled:

"Now who is this handsome guy?" Zane came over, and stated:

"I believe that it's me." Kai nudged him, and they soon broke out in a fight of nudging each other the hardest.

* * *

"Kai?"

No answer came. Zane shuffled up to Kai, buried under his blankets. "Kai!" Zane insisted. Kai let out a groan, then turned to face Zane with sleepy eyes.

"What d'you want?"

Zane sat up and whispered: "I couldn't get to sleep."

"And you want me to get up and sing you a lullaby or what?"

"No!" Zane protested. "I'm euh… a bit…" he scratched behind his head, visibly a bit shy. "You know, as my parents aren't home, I was wondering if you could… you know, that… euh…" Kai frowned.

"Wake me up when you decide to talk." And he ducked back into his blankets.

""Kai, please! Tell me a story!" Kai sat up, and blinked.

"A story? You mean…a bedtime story?"

"Ye… Yeah, sort of." Zane laughed, feeling awkward. "Mom tells me a story every night."

Kai smirked. "You're still a little baby, aren't you?" Seeing Zane blush, and open his mouth to talk back, the brown-haired teen cut him short: "Come closer, then," and lifted the corner of his blanket to let Zane in. Zane smiled, and claimed out of his bed to go into Kai's.

"What's the story about?" he asked, eyes shining. Kai thought for a moment, and finally spoke up:

"It's a story about a little boy who dreamt of changing his world, that he found too unfair. Do you wanna hear it?"

Zane nodded eagerly. So Kai started:

"Once upon a time, in a time where darkness, fear and hatred ruled the world, everyone lived hopelessly, spending their day painfully as it went by. Everyone, except a young boy who's name was…"

* * *

"Dear?" Kai's mother called out, knocking on the door of the basement, carrying a tray of steaming soup. "Dear, I've brought you some food! I thought that you would be hungry." She stepped carefully down the steps, watching where she went. She sighed sadly when she saw the heap of curtains dumped on top of the sponge bed, where her son was sleeping. As she put the tray down onto a little table, she said:

"You know, Kai. I know that your father's been hard on you lately, and… and I admit that I've not been a responsible mother either." she cried out, her voice shaking: "But world's not been fair to us these days! Your father and I… Well never mind. Anyway, you're too young to understand." She turned around to face Kai. "And I also know… I also know that it's not easy to ask you this, but… Please. Please don't blame us too much. Just… remember this. We're doing this all for YOU." She put a hand softly on her son, to discover that something was wrong. She shot a hand out to pull off the curtains, and screamed in distress as she found nothing. Kai's father came running in, and stopped in surprise at what he saw. He ran over to his wife, who was sobbing on the floor, and threw his arms around her. As he stroked her auburn hair, he asked:

"Kai… he left, didn't he?" he soothed: "Maya, don't cry. You know that… you know that it's for his best." His wife sobbed only even harder. Ray closed his eyes and laid his head on hers, letting a tear slip away.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **So, a question for you all! Have a guess why Kai's parents feel that Kai should leave? And how did Ray find out that Kai has stolen candies?**

 **Hope to see you all in the next chapter!**


	5. Losing and Finding

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but I finally finished!**

 **TheAmberShadow: I forgot to tell you all something important. Not to deceive you, but in my story, they aren't elemental masters. ^^' And thank you, AmberShadow. I saw your review come in almost as soon as I updated,** **you really made my day!**

 **NinjaChief547: Thanks! Well then, here's the new chapter!**

 **RJ: Sorry about that, I know, I'm not very good at explaining. But you'll surely understand in the chapters to come. :)**

 **And I won't be able to answer to you all in the next chapters. But reviews are all appreciated, even constructive criticisms! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Zane yawned. He subconsciously realized the presence of his friend next to him, and snuggled up, smiling as he felt his heat. Kai was still here. Good. Zane hoped that his friend would never leave, and that he would stay with him forever. After a dozen of minutes of trying to go back to sleep, the blue-eyed boy got up, and stretched. He thought of waking Kai up, but after taking a glance to Kai, who was sleeping so peacefully that Zane didn't have the courage to do that. Zane's bare feet pattered again the cold, white tiles as he made his way to the living room. And as he expected, he found his father at the table, reading the newspaper. Zane could hear his mother from the kitchen, talking to herself as she cooked. As Zane pulled back a chair to sit down, his father looked up, and said:

"Good morning, Zane. Did you sleep well?"

Zane was not very fond of lying. He have had only four hours of sleep, but in these four hours, he slept like a rock. So... He DID sleep well, didn't he?

"Yes, Dad. I slept... really well." Zane replied, a bit nervous. Unluckily for him, his dad easily sensed his uneasiness. He put down his newspaper, and said nothing. Zane avoided eye contact, which made him look even more suspicious. So his father asked:

"Zane? Are you hiding something from me?"

Zane twitched, and his cheeks tainted in red. He stuttered:

"N...No, I'm not lying to you, Dad."

"I didn't say that you lied," his father continued. "Come on, Zane. Tell Daddy! You're making me sad!"

Zane replied hastily:

"That wasn't my intention, I'm sorry. It's just that... Well, I didn't sleep very well because I... Kai kept me awake because we were...playing." Zane chose his words carefully.

"Uh-huh. And what did you play with him?" His father asked as he got back to reading his news.

"We... I mean, he told me a nice story," Zane smiled as he remembered how Kai had comforted him, as if he was his big brother. "But I slept in the middle of it."

"Well that's very nice of him!" Zane's mom called out from the kitchen. "Is he still here? I would like to thank him personally!"

Zane called back:

"I think that he's still sleeping, I'll go to check."

He climbed up the wooden stairs painted in pure white, and pushed effortlessly the door leading to his room. A quick glance towards the bed proved that Kai was still sound asleep, the blankets moving up and down in a steady rhythm. Zane was about to quietly go away when suddenly, his mother, who had probably crept up the stairs, came marching into the room and pulled off Kai's blankets. Kai sprang up as if he had received an electric shock, and stared at Zane's mother with wide eyes. She said:

"Good morning, Kai dear! Did you sleep well?"

"Yeaaah, I did." He whispered the last part of the sentence: "Until you came."

"Good. Oh, and thank you sooo much to have taken care of my Baby. You are such an adorable kitten." She bent down to take him into a big hug, that Kai gave back awkwardly. He gave a confused look at Zane, who shrugged.

"Are you hungry? If you want, there's breakfast downstairs. Come and eat until it's still warm!" She added as she went out of the room, leaving the two boys behind. As soon as Kai was sure that their voices were out of her ear's reach, he asked:

"Is she always like that?"

"Most of the time."

Kai smiled, trying to contain his laugh. Instead, he scoffed:

"Pff. Me? A kitten? Almost despairs me to hear that."

As Zane didn't reply, Kai got up from bed and, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, said:

"Now I wanna go to taste your mom's food. Let's see if it's as good as you say!"

* * *

"Wow, I'm totally full. Can't eat anymore," Kai stated as he laid back into his chair, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Zane, who hadn't eaten much, put down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin. Kai snorted:

"I wonder why you don't get fat with your Mom who cooks this well. You're having a diet or what?"

"No, I'm not. I eat normally." Zane replied. His dad cut in:

"No, Zane, take example on you friend! Look at you, skinny as you are, you should eat more."

"But I'm full!" Zane protested, feeling overwhelmed.

"Yeah, yeah, never mind. Anyway, thank you for the lunch, Mrs...Zane?" Kai thanked.

"Oh you're welcome, dear! It's been lovely to eat with you, you're so handsome." She laughed while taking the dishes away.

"Mom!" Zane exclaimed, embarrassed of her outburst.

"What? It's true!" She laughed again, and went away.

"Um... Thanks?" Kai ventured.

"Hey, what about you two go out to play? It'll help you digest."

"Okay, Dad. What about you, Kai?"

"I'm okay with that. C'mon, let's go."

They went to the door, and sat down on the floorboard to put on their shoes. While Kai slipped easily into his bright-red sneakers, Zane carefully chose his shoes, a pair of white sneakers. Kai asked:

"How do you do to keep your shoes so white?"

"I brush them every time I come back home."

"Don't you get fed up?"

"No, why?" Zane asked as he opened the door and kept it the time Kai went out.

"Because... Never mind. I always knew that you were a bit weird."

They walked side by side, before Kai abruptly stopped in front of a café.

"What's up?"

"What about having a stop here? I'm hungry."

"But we just ate! And you said that you were full." Zane exclaimed, surprised.

"I've changed my mind," Kai shrugged with a sky smile as he stepped into the café, the door bell tinkling sweetly.

It was a very modest place. There was a very few customers, and the lights were turned on dimly as if they were saving energy. A middle-aged man with dark hair stood behind the counter, mixing beverages and rearranging the bottles busily. Patisseries lied peacefully in the displays, waiting to be chosen. Kai absent-mindedly chose a piece of cheese-cake, while Zane ordered a cup of warm milk. With honey, of course. Kai made his way decidedly to a table near in the corner, where they had an overall view on the café. In the middle, an old couple were having a light lunch. A bit further, a young man who probably forgot to shave his beard this morning was typing away furiously on a laptop, his eyes glued to the screen. At the counter, a big teenager talked lively with the man at the counter. They seemed to be close friends. And in the far corner, a girl with surprising red hair sat, stirring reflexively in her mug. Her traits were hard, and she seemed to be thinking deeply. She looked... Sad, and lost. Zane looked at his friend, who was staring at the girl. And something went 'tilt' in his head.

"Are you in love, Kai?"

Kai jerked up, hitting the table with his arm on the way and making all their cups clatter. Zane just had time to left his cup while Kai prevented the table from falling just in time. Everyone in the café turned to them, except for the geek. All they could hear was the sound of the keyboard clicking. Kai managed to say "sorry," and he set the table down and smoothed out the tablecloth, pretending to be busy. The people slowly went back to their occupation, and everything went back to normal. Kai's eyes locked with the red-head, her amber eyes similar to his, before she looked away, uninterested. Kai smirked, then turned to Zane, his eyes shooting daggers:

"I am NOT in love. I'm going over to see her, she seems lonely."

"Would you want me to come with you?"

"No, just wait for me, I'll be right back." Kai got up, taking care to not to make anymore noise, and went over to her, and slumped down into the chair across her. Zane watched as Kai tried to start a chat with her. Even though he didn't hear them, he understood most of it. Kai introduced himself easily, with an arm slumped in front of him on the table, leaning slightly towards her. The girl soon warmed up to the conversation, and Zane could barely recognize the miserable girl she was a few minutes ago. Her eyes were shining, and she looked confident, strong. Just like Kai.

About half an hour later, Kai came back over to Zane, with a smile plastered over his face. Zane asked him:

"So? How's she like?"

"She's reeeal cool. I wanted to get to know her better, but she didn't have time."

"What's her name?"

"Skylor. That's all I know."


	6. The Guys

**Hello everyone! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Sorry for the late update, I've been extremely busy. K promise that the next wait won't be this long.**

 **TheAmberShadow: Yeah, I think I'm going to add in Pixal somewhere in the near future. And Kai, even with his hot temper, he can be quite cute with girls! ;P**

 **RJ: Why, thank you! So here's the new chapter! ^^**

 **FireOreo: No, don't worry. Kai's not going to neglect Zane. You like snuggles? I do too! James? He's just a guy that Kai met in the streets, and was invited to this awful party. I don't think he'll be doing a major role in this story.**

 **BedazzleDewdrops: Hi there! Glad you enjoyed, and this is just the beginning! I've got a nice plot prepared, so welcome to the roller coaster ride! Yes. Zane can be VERY straightforward. XP And for the nicknames, I got t** **he ideas from GLACIER3, who let me use his account to post my story. Please go and check out his story whenever you have time! ^^**

 **now enough talking and on with the story!**

* * *

Someone was hiding in the street corner, staring at the two teens bickering in front of a café. The person had a grey cloak that matched well with the city's concrete walls, and had a big hood that rendered him unrecognizable.

The boy in white was saying:

"C'mon, tell me the truth!"

"I did! I told you, I am NOT in love! Heck, I don't even know her!" The other exclaimed, trying to persuade Zane, who persisted to believe that Kai had a crush on the red-head girl.

"My sixth sense tells me that you ARE." He replied with a stubborn look in his eyes, which was quite rare.

"You don't even have a sixth sense," Kai scoffed.

"How would you know?"

"Because I KNOW!" Kai groaned, and wondered what took his friend to believe him.

"Anyway, just ask yourself if you like her or not before denying," Zane smiled, and turned away to head back home. Kai stared at his friend in disbelief, then followed Zane who was walking with a fast pace. Kai had to jog to keep up pace. When he caught up his friend, Kai asked:

"And anyway, why do you care? It's not like it's your business."

As Zane didn't answer, Kai shrugged. There were times like this, when Zane didn't answer. And it was usually when Zane was in a bad mood, sad or any other feelings. Kai took a good look at his friend. What could he be feeling about this whole situation?

As Zane and Kai approached the corner of the street, the mysterious person's fascinating green eyes scanned the areas, looking for a place to hide. Just at the last second, she managed to duck behind a garbage bin. Too bad Zane noticed. He froze in his tracks, making Kai bump into him.

"Hey! Watch it!" The hot-head growled. But his anger turned to curiosity as he noticed that Zane had his eyes fixed somewhere else. He followed his stare, and saw that Zane was staring at garbage bins. Kai asked:

"Uh... What are you staring at?"

He sighed in frustration as his friend didn't answer. As Kai opened his mouth to tell him how he felt about receiving no answers, Zane lifted a hand to inquire him silence. Kai puffed, and crossed his arms. Zane slowly approached the bins. He called out:

"Hello? Are you there?"

"Who the heck are you talking to, Zane?!" Kai asked, peeking over his friend's shoulder. All of a sudden, a form tore out from behind the bins, making the boys scream. The person dashed out of sight, leaving them to gape.

"What the hell was THAT?!" Kai asked in complete amazement as he passed a hand through his spiky hair. Zane replied cooly:

"I don't know. Probably a human?"

Kai snorted at this response.

"No, serious? I thought it was a dog."

"Do you need glasses, Kai?" Zane asked in concern. Kai laughed, and put an arm around the pale boy's shoulders.

"And did you know that this person was just spying on us the whole time?"

Kai stopped. "Wait, what? So this guy heard ALL what we said, you KNEW that we were being listened to and you said NOTHING?!"

"No, I don't think this person heard all. I hope."

"Well, it's good to hope but not enough," Kai sighed. Eventually, the duo arrived in front of a square, where various people lazed here and there. Two boys of their age sat on a bench, one with crazed chestnut hair and the other who had a mass of black hair, neatly combed, and the two of them just sat there, the first one doing a fairly lot of talking which could be heard right over to where Zane and Kai stood, and the other drawing on a sketchbook.

"Well someone's in a good mood," Kai commented as he watched the auburn-haired boy get up and go over to the kids playing football to play with them. After a while, as Kai and Zane just stood watching the others play, the blue-eyed boy took notice of them, and came with a big smile, the ball tucked under his arm.

"Hi! Are you two new here? Never seen you in the corner before."

Before the one of them could say anything, the auburn haired boy spoke: "I'm Jay. And the guy over there," he said while pointing to the boy on the bench, "is Cole."

"Hello, Jay. I am Zane, and here is my friend Kai. Nice to meet you, Jay and Cole." Zane replied with a sincere smile. Jay returned the smile, as Cole hopped off his bench to meet them. Cole was fairly larger than his friend, and next to him, even Zane seemed smaller. The four of them shook hands, while Kai was mourning to himself, as he wanted to be the one that did the presentations. But oh well. Never mind, Zane did it, so what's done is done.

"Well you seem angry! What's up, uh..." Jay looked over to Cole for an answer.

"Kai."

"Oh yeah, Kai. You spaced out." Jay snickered. Kai looked away. This cheerful boy was starting to get onto his nerves.

"Let's go, Zane. We still have something important to do," he snapped and took his friend by the wrist.

"Hey! Wait, why you going away like this?!. Jay cried out.

"I told you! You're scaring him," Cole started.

"No I didn't!"

"I'm not scared of him!" Kai snorted in indignation.

"Then why don't you play with us?" Cole cocked his thick eyebrows, already knowing Kai's answer. He had met quite a few people like him, who jumps into all the challenges that he meets.

"Pfft! You're going to cry when I beat you." Kai growled as he snatched the ball from Jay. Jay glared at him as he brushed past him, and Zane excused:

"I apologize. My friend isn"t usually like this, it has probably been a bad day for him."

"Then maybe he'll cheer up after this match!" Jay beamed, and ran after Kai and Cole to join them onto the football field. "You comin'?" He called out to the platinum haired teen, who smiled and shook his head at the dynamism.

"GOOOOOAAL!" Jay screeched as his ball flee past the guardian and hit the net. He ran over to his teammate, who happened to be Kai. They did a high-five, and Kai nudged Jay.

"You aren't bad for a whiny," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I... Did you just call me WHINY?! Why, you are a... A..."

"Hot head, I'd say," Cole added with a smirk. "

"I see that you two get along fine," Zane stated with a smile.

"Yep. The Hot-head and the Motor-mouth." Jay put an arm on Kai's shoulder.

"But don't you think that it was a bit hard on the small ones?" Cole said, taking a glance at the kids who seemed pretty annoyed.

"Never mind, they'll continue playing without us," Jay flicked his hand, and led his new friends away.

"So you're saying that we're in the same school? But then how come we never saw each other?!" The motor-mouth exclaimed. "Are you two hiding away or what?"

"...No, we don't. I think, that it's because you don't pay much attention to our surroundings. However, I've already noticed the both of you." Zane explained.

"You did? Oh." Cole nodded.

"Where are you taking us?" Kai asked, more and more suspicious as they went deeper and deeper into a small alley. "It's a trap?"

"Ooh! Like we were going to tie you up into a sausage and abandon you to the hungry dogs! Well that seems like a WONDERFUL idea!"

Kai raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What he is saying," Cole translated, "is that you don't have to worry."

"Oh." Kai and Zane said at the same time.

"But still. Where are we going? Why do you have to make this all mysterious?" The spiky-haired boy asked.

"You'll see. It's gonna be great!" Jay smiled.

"I don't know if your definition of great is the same as mine," Kai spat, receiving a hard stare from Zane. Luckily for them, Jay was too busy talking to Cole.

Soon enough, they arrived to a dead end, a brick wall, where the boy in blue stood, his eyes gleaming.

"If this is great for you... You're good for the madhouse."

"...I guess people have different opinions," Zane stuttered, visibly surprised, but eager not to vex the others.

Cole laughed. "No need to be so polite, Zane. We both know it seems like rubbish, but... Come on, Jay, just show them."

"Awn, I liked the suspense," the young teen sighed, and he turned to the wall, then took out a huge variety of instruments from his coat. Zane wondered how all this could have possibly fit on the skinny boy, and watched in amazement as Jay tweaked and dug into a hole that was hidden in the wall.

"Almost...there...!" Jay grunted as he pushed his fist inside. He gasped as he pulled it out. Cole took his friend's hand and started examining it for cuts or bruises.

"Na, I'm fine, Cole." Jay chuckled as he gently took his hand away from his grip. "Now why isn't it working?"

As if on cue, the wall started making cranking noises, making Kai and Zane jump back. Cole and Jay's face lit up as they watched the wall move and give place to a hole, big enough for a person to pass.

"...Woah," Kai managed to say. Jay smiled, and Cole beckoned them to follow as they passed under the eerie gateway.

"This mechanism is fascinating," Zane admired as he ran his hands on the pulleys and pinions, who worked away busily in a regular, clicking manner as the wall slid shut behind them.

"Yeah, but I have to work out something to make this quiet. It's making too much noise." The blue-eyed boy stated.

They four teens finally came to the end of the tunnel. With the oppressing feelings of the wall now all but gone, Zane deducted that they mist have came to a spacious place. He was proven right when the lights flickered on, sizzling, and they all looked over to Cole who had turned them on.

"Welcome to our secret base."

"Hey! I should be the one saying that, I made the most of it!"

The two others looked around in awe. As Jay marched over to a corner and flicked a few switches, the machines looming in the corners purred into life, and three or more big screens lit up. A big table sat in the middle, where mugs and a half eaten box of biscuits lay miserably next to a big chunk of... Something.

"Did you REALLY make all of this by yourself, Jay?" Kai asked.

"No, I had help from Cole, who made a lot of sketches and ideas, and from a good friend." Jay mumbled as he typed furiously onto a keyboard who was connected to a black box, who was beeping and lights blinked occasionally.

"There must be a significance to this" Zane thought as he watched the lights flicker at a unusual rhythm. "But I can't figure it out"

"Who is the good friend?" Kai asked out of curiosity, and approached a screen that looked like a smartphone, the only thing that seemed familiar to him here. He tapped on the screen, who came to life. He then clicked an icon that seemed like that of browser, but instead, the "phone" started vibrating and sent alarm messages to all the screens and setting off an alarm, making Jay and Cole scream. Jay whizzed over to Kai and typed in a code, making the alarm shut up.

"Oops. False alert," Kai chuckled nervously while rubbing a hand behind his neck.

"Maybe you shouldn't be touching anything here," Jay answered.

"No need for you to tell me, I won't even dare touch the wall." His answer made Cole laugh. Suddenly, the boys jumped up as they heard a metallic door slam.

"What the hell was that?!" A female voice could be heard. Kai squinted into the darkness, and stepped over to see who was the newcomer. The footsteps of the girl stopped. "Jay? Cole? Who are they?"

A figure stepped out of the darkness, causing Kai to gape. The girl stared back at him, the both of them stopping dead in their tracks.

Why? All of a sudden... He thought that he had lost her forever, and why... Why would she appear here? Here, in all the places in the world she could have went?

"You know each other?" Jay asked, breaking the silence.

Of course I know her. I know her better than anyone.


	7. Your Explanation is Incomplete

**Wow! 6 reviews for a chapter! Greatest record ever! Thank you, you wonderful people! #^^#**

 **RJ: You'll see quite soon enough. Thanks! So here's the update!**

 **asdfghjkl: Okaaaay. Just calm down and... Hey, I know how to sing the alphabet too!**

 **TheAmberShadow: Yep, I just had to put Jay and Cole in the story. They weren't there in the original story, but I prefer that they would be there. I just hope that GLACIER3 won't mind.**

 **KillerWhale: Yep! Lloyd is coming out somewhere near in the future.**

 **Guest: You'll see in this chapter! The first thing that you'll discover, by the way.**

 **GLACIER3: No, not really, but yeah, you could say so. XP**

 **BedazzleDewdrops: Haha, yeah. I don't even know where I got that from. OOH, and by the way, I've been reading your story "The Case of The Missing** Sausages". **I haven't exactly caught up to the last chapter, because I don't have much time, but anyone who hasn't read it go to read it now!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Your explanation is incomplete

The two of them just stared at each other. Kai stared. No. It can't be. Kai took her features in carefully. She hadn't changed, except maybe she looked a little more grown-up...

"K... Kai?" The young girl chocked, recognizing her brother.

"...Nya?" Kai's voice was merely a whisper.

A step forward. Then another. And another again, until they were at hand's reach. Kai took out a shaky hand that he placed on his younger sister's soft cheek, wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"Where have you been, all this time...?"

Nya didn't answer. She buried her small face into Kai's chest, her shoulders shaking. She clutched onto his shirt with all her might, planning never to let go. The three others just stared uneasily, not knowing what to do.

"I'm... I'm so, so sorry, Kai... I'm sorry..."

Kai inhaled, trying to hide away his tears. Why was he crying? Was it because he had found his long lost sister, or was it because he was angry at her for leaving him without a word?

As Jay brought mugs of coffee, and Zane mugs of warm milk for him and Kai, everyone sat around the table. The air was tense: nobody wanted to start. Nya stared down into her mug as if there was a plant growing inside, and Kai stared at her as to burn holes. Cole cleared his throat, only getting attention from Zane and Jay:

"Uh... We're going to leave you two alone, so that you two can... Well, speak freely."

"I'm not the one who's going to do the speaking. The girl here better have a good excuse." Kai said, making Nya cringe when he spat the word "girl".

Cole took Jay and Zane by the shoulders, and led them away to the door where Nya had come from. Zane took a several glances over his shoulder, in the hope that Kai looked at him.

The three left, and the metallic door shut with a gentle click. After a whole minute of silence that seemed like hell to the young girl, Kai spoke softly.

"Nya, tell me. Why did you leave?"

Another minute of silence. After a few gasps, his sister spoke up. The voice coming out was familiar to Kai, yet it seemed so different. So...weak, not like the strong, confident Nya he used to know.

"It all started on that day. That day when Mom and Dad came back home, when it was snowing awfully. They told us to go straight to sleep, and shouted at us like they never had done before. You remember?" She made a pause.

"Yes, I remember. Go on," Kai encouraged patiently.

"You were angry, and I was scared. But I found this all wrong: I wanted to know what had happened to them. So I pretended to go to my room, but instead, I hid under the kitchen sink to listen. And... And they said," she gulped, "they said that there was going to be something terrible. They said that something terrible was going to happen to us if we stayed with them, Kai! And that they had to do something to make us go away. To avoid us the danger. So I ran away."

"I know, I owe you a better explanation. But this is it: I couldn't bear to see this coming. I had to leave before. I... I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. But I knew that you wouldn't ever listen to me. That you wouldn't want to leave. You love your family so much. You loved us so much..."

Nya sniffed, squeezing the mug of coffee in her hands as if she wanted to shatter it into pieces. She didn't dare to look up at her brother, who was just sitting across her. She couldn't look into his eyes who reflected all the pain he'd been through. The pain that SHE had caused him.

Kai looked at his sister and sighed. He knew that she was telling him less than she knew, but he didn't want to push her too much. Yet. He wanted to ask her where she had got all these cuts, bruises, what kind of pain she'd been through. She seemed so fragile: she had lost the beautiful smile she had, and her muscled shoulders showed that she have had a hard time. He wanted to take her into his arms, but at the same time, he didn't. She owed him so much. And she didn't even want to give him a proper explanation.

She was so near, yet out of reach.

"Nya. Look at me." Nya lifted her head, and her teary eyes locked with his amber eyes, who were not filled with anger anymore, but with tenderness. "You know that I won't hurt you. What are you so scared of?"

Despite her efforts, her voice came out trembling.

"I... I'm scared that... That you'll hate me."

Kai smiled.

"No. Never. I'll never hate you, no matter what you did. You're my sister. And that's that." He stood up, and the wall that all these years of separation made between them came crumbling down with the warm hug that he gave her. "Welcome back."

"Ooh, so you're siblings!" Jay exclaimed as he leant against another weird machine, while Nya explained a few things to him. "I thought that you were lovers!"

"Jay..." Cole moaned as he squeezed a tube of whipped cream into his second mug of coffee. "I told you that they weren't!"

"But how could I have known that they were siblings?!" Jay exclaimed, putting his mug onto the desk with a expression revealing his unbelief. "They don't look alike AT ALL!"

"I think they do," Zane cut before Kai could throw a bunch of curse words to Jay, "their features overall are alike, the shape of their face, and especially their eyes give the same expressions."

"But their eye colors aren't the same!"

"The eye colors have nothing to do with expressions!" Cole shouted out, exasperated. "Listen a little to the muffin head, won't you?"

"...Who told you of my nickname?" The icy-blued eyes boy blushed.

"He did," Jay pointed with a nod of his head to Kai, who winked to his childhood friend. Zane tried to make a threatening face, which resulted into a funny face from an attempt to not to smile. They laughed, and Zane couldn't keep his face straight. Kai was happy that his friend was there to lighten up the atmosphere in his own awkward ways. He wondered what he would have been now if it wasn't for him.

Jay propelled himself up, and asked everyone:

"I'm going out to buy us somethin' to eat. Who want what?"

"Noodles!" Cole looked up from his book, eyes shining.

"Okay. And you, Kai? Nya? Zane?"

"Anything, really. Just something I can eat," Kai answered, and resumed to talk with Nya.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Nya asked.

"Nah, don't bother." Jay smiled. "So I guess you are craving for a ham sandwich, as usual?"

"You bet I am," Nya pushed her jet-black hair backward, laughing.

"And you, Zane?"

"Uh... I should be going back home to eat. My parents don't..."

"No! Stay with us, Zane!"

"Why do you wanna leave?! Come on, just a little longer!" Kai and Jay pleaded. Zane blinked, surprised that his presence was so significant to them.

"Well then I guess that you don't leave me a choice," their friend shrugged, smiling. The others cheered, and Cole gave a pat on the smart boy's back as he came to sit next to him.

"Hey guys, what about going to the noodle shop tomorrow? You'll see, it's heaven! You've all gotta taste it!" Cole exclaimed all of a sudden.

"Yeah! And the girl that's working there is my friend!" Nya added.

"I'll go wherever you go, sis."

"Then I shall go too, if everyone is going."

"Great!" Cole clasped his hands. "I can't wait for the noodles!"

* * *

"Kai? I'm leaving, my parents are going to worry." Zane whispered from the doorway, half-stepping into the tunnel that led out of the secret hide-out. Litter was scattered everywhere, and Cole's cup noodle came rolling to his feet. Someone should really start thinking of cleaning up this place. Jay had went back home quite a while ago, Cole was still reading his book, slouched in a tern green beanbag, and Nya was fast asleep on the couch, and her head rested on her older brother's laps.

"I'll go with you," Kai proposed, already getting up.

"No thank you, I'll be fine." Seeing that his friend was about to protest, he said: "Besides, you've at last found your sister. You should be spending more time with her."

"Alright," Kai chuckled, all while placing his sister's head delicately on a cushion. "But that doesn't mean I should spend less time with you either."

"I didn't say that. Anyway, see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Zane!" Kai waved as Zane plunged into the cold darkness of the tunnel. Zane smiled. Even though he didn't want to admit, he was a little scared that Kai would forget about him with his sister's sudden apparition. And hearing Kai say the opposite made him feel even happier than anything.

Zane tapped a few times on the brick wall, giving a sign to Cole, who took care of the control panels as there was no one else. And Kai would probably blow up the whole thing. After a few seconds, the mechanisms started to click and whirr, then the brick wall slid open. The noise was quite awful, Zane had to admit. He wondered how come people hadn't noticed their secret hideout with all this noise. Then again, it was extremely well hidden. And only the creators knew how to open it. He watched the brick walls close behind him, and he started walking back home, his mind elsewhere. Zane shivered as he noticed how dark it was getting. He regretted not to have brought a torch with him. The dirty walls matched with the color of the ground, which was rather grey, and stained with black at several places. A pile of dust and junk piled along the walls, and it seemed to Zane that they could almost climb up the walls. The chilly air pricked his nose, along with a smell of...mold.

Suddenly, the platinum haired teen was snapped out of his trance as he heard quick, light footsteps nearby. He started to ran, and spotted once more the mysterious person that was spying on him and Kai earlier today.

"Please, stop!" He called out to the person. But the individual didn't hear. Or maybe pretended not to hear.

Zane was determined to find out who was this person. And tons of questions to ask. But first, he had to catch the person. Zane's footsteps resonated on the cold ground, but the other seemed to be flying. When his victim was about to turn into a street corner to disappear, Zane did a tremendous leap, kicking the wall on his right to propel himself, and hurled into the person who gave a scream. He felt a throbbing pain in his stomach as the person gave a kick, making him wince. They struggled for a moment before Zane managed to pin the other to the ground.

"Stop moving! I don't want to hurt you!" He shouted. He grabbed the person's wrists so that he could make eye contact. And the reaction was immediate: his victim stopped moving as they gazed into each other's stares. And the sight made Zane's heart do flip-backs and somersaults in his chest.

The young girl that he had cornered had fascinating green eyes, and the silver curls surrounding her face gave her a angel's look. She must be a few years younger than him; yet she erred in the streets like this. It made him sad just to think about it. Her starry eyes were furious; she looked at him with wide eyes and Zane thought that he saw fire burning inside. All of a sudden, the girl pushed him away. He was slammed into the rough wall behind, knocking the breath out of him. The young girl backed away, her back against the wall. Her chest heaved in rhythm as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hey, look, I'm... I'm sorry." Zane apologized, feeling bad for hurting her.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry." The young girl replied, her voice was sweet, yet cold and had something sad to it at the same time.

"What? Could you please explain?"

She smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't have met in a different way."

Zane didn't have the time to process what she had said that she was already running away.

"Your explanation is incomplete," he murmured as he watched her disappear into the darkness.


	8. Explosions

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, I hope this long chapter will compensate for the delay.**

 **Thank you soooo much for all your lovely reviews! Oh, and this chapter will contain some actions. Finally.**

 **RJ: Thank you!**

 **GLACIER3: Glad you don't. Yep, I'll specify again that this book was from the two of us. So if you like it, give credits to Glacier!**

 **TheAmberShadow: Yes, it's her. And no, Jay and Nya aren't dating yet. You'll see soon, probably in the next chapter about what's happening. But not his one yet, look out for it ;P Yes, Nya is Skylor's friend.**

 **Guest: Yep! Here you go!**

 **KillerWhale: It's okay, thanks for the review! You'll see. Everything will become clear quite soon. I hope.**

 **BedazzleDewdrops: This one is even MORE intense! And yeah. I like ham sandwiches. Though I prefer spicy ones. My pleasure! I'm looking forward to your next update!**

* * *

The next morning, Kai woke up and wondered where he was. Laid on the couch on his back, he listened to the soft beeps of the machines, remembering all what had happened last night. All of a sudden, he jolted up, hoping that all this, was not a dream. He was hit by a feeling of dread when he saw that the couch was empty. But... It all seemed so real... He listened intently, and checked his surroundings for his sister. He ran into the next room, where Nya had appeared last night, and relief washed over him when he saw her, sitting up with her legs crossed on a bed with maroon covers.

"Oh, hi Kai! You've finally decided to get up." Nya said as she looked up from her phone.

"Yeah."

"What's up?" She asked in concern, and surveyed his face.

"M..me? Oh, nothing. I'm... I'm probably just tired, I just need a glass of water."

"Sure thing." The raven-haired girl got up, and went to fetch a glass of water. Kai wondered who she was texting to. He decided that he would ask her when she came back. He waltzed in the small bedroom, pacing round and round. He had a lot of questions: why, in the first place, did Nya end up here? Where did she get to know Jay and Cole? Why didn't she ever choose to come back, or at least tell him that she was alive? He had spent almost half of his life mourning over his sister who wasn't even dead. Kai was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar cheery voice:

"Hi Nya! Where's Kai? Did he break anything yet?"

"Hi Jay! Kai's over there. Go and check by yourself."

A few clatters, the noise of a chair falling and an "ouch" could be heard as Jay made his way through the heaps of scraps and junks. After a while, Jay's tousled hair poked in the doorframe.

"Hello! How're doing?"

"Fine."

"Good then. Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Kai's curiosity was picked.

"C'mon, the whole gang's waiting for you outside!" Jay answered, and disappeared.

"...The gang?"

Zane stood in silence next to Cole. The both of them were a bit tense, not knowing what to say. They didn't know each other much, and Zane wasn't used to opening conversations. Cole wanted a bit to Jay for leaving him alone with Zane. But he also had a feeling that his friend had done it on purpose, because he wanted everyone to get along well with each other. Finally, Cole started:

"So. Do you...want to know where we are going?"

"Yes, I'd like so."

"Okay. So we're going to the city center, you know, just to goof around."

"What is the point in goofing around? What is, exactly, to "goof around?"" Zane asked, his head tilted to one side in confusion.

Cole was slightly taken back by his question, but answered nicely:

"Well, goofing around is what you do for fun. And uh... You could say," Cole thought for a moment, "that making jokes and pranks would be goofing. There's no deep purpose in it, just fun."

Zane nodded. He was about to ask another question when his falcon came flapping onto his shoulder, making the two boys jump.

"Well hello, Falcon." Falcon squawked, as if to answer him, and rubbed his feathery head against his friend's cheek. "Have you missed me?"

Cole watched in amazement. He had jumped back a few feet, but now approached.

"Wow." He gasped. "Can I touch it?"

Zane gave a questioning look at the falcon, who tilted his head to Cole, who patted it lightly.

"It's the first time I see one from so near!" Cole smiled from ear to ear. "Say, can I have it?"

Zane shuffled back a bit protectively.

"Sorry, Cole. But I can't give him to you. He's extremely important to me. But if you want, you..."

"Hey, hey. I was kidding." Cole chuckled, and put a hand on Zane's vacant shoulder. "What's his name?"

"He's Falcon."

Cole blinked, before fully registering.

"Oooh, okay! So his name's Falcon!" He reached out to stroke the animal's feathers, when the wall started to whirr. The bird tensed, and flapped around while Zane tried his best to calm him down.

Out came Jay, as lively as usual. The young teen threw his arms up into the air.

"Phew! I'm fed up of the darkness in our hideout! We should do something about it, seriously. How come we don't put more lights?"

"We decided so, don't you remember? " Nya said. "The bills are too expensive to pay off."

"Right. Never mind, then," Jay shrugged, while mumbling something about it to himself. Kai came out last, squinting as the bright sunlight greeted him. Falcon, finally recognizing someone, screeched in delight and flapped his wings in sign of welcome. Kai smiled, and gave the falcon a wave. The others who hadn't seen the wonderful creature yet had all gathered around in curiosity.

"You should be going back home," Zane said to Kai when they walked past his house. "Your parents are going to worry."

"I don't know, Zane. I don't think they want me to come back."

"Why wouldn't they? Your parents wouldn't do that, would they?"

Kai huffed.

"I... You just don't need to worry about it, okay? I can deal with it myself. You wouldn't understand." His amber eyes shined with a furious glare as he stared at his house. Zane looked at his feet. He didn't like this feeling of being useless. Maybe that he could ask Nya. Maybe she would know what was up with Kai's family. Then again, how would she know? She hadn't been there in years.

"Wow! Take a look at this, guys!" Jay exclaimed as he jumped about a stand, who was lined with various gadgets, who were perfect strangers to Kai.

"What are these?" The brunette asked as he picked up a chunk of metal, with two holes on one side and a jagged surface on the other.

"Oh, this is euh... I dunno." Jay answered with a laugh. "Hey, check this out!" Cole held out an instrument that resembled to a mouse trap. He passed it to his friend, who tossed it around in his hands.

"It looks like a mouse trap," the blue-eyed boy finally said, echoing Kai's thoughts.

"Eeeh nope! This is called a mouth trap! Specially made for Jay Walkers."

Nya stifled a laugh, Zane smiled, and Kai snorted.

"Ha ha, very funny, guys." Jay stuck out his tongue to Cole.

"Keep it, I bought it for you." Cole said with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"As if." Jay looked as if he was going to throw it away, but after taking a look to the others, whirled around suddenly, and clapped the mouth-trap shut right in front of Cole's face with a shkling.

"AAAAH!" Cole shrieked. This time, it was Jay's turn to laugh. He laughed hysterically, and between laughs, gasped:

"You... You should have... HAHAHA! You should have seen your... YOUR FACE! AHAHAHHAA!" His eyebrows almost joined together, his face reddening. Nya burst into laugh, not able to contain it any longer. Kai snickered, but seeing Jay bend over himself, leaning onto Zane for support, Kai giggled, then went over in the fit of laughter. Cole giggled despite his efforts to keep a credible face. Zane seemed surprised when Jay toppled over right into his arms, but chuckled.

After their fit of laughter, Zane asked if someone was hungry. Everyone's hand shot up at once, which earned them yet another concert of giggles. Cole, who knew the best food courts, led the way.

"Aaand here we are! Chen's noodle shop!" The raven haired boy announced proudly as he shook his bangs out of his eyes. The group marched inside, chattering, and took seat on a table. As there wasn't enough place for five people, Zane brought a chair for himself to be seated on the square table.

Kai took a good look around the restaurant. An black automatic belt circled the counter table, which took place in the bold center of the room. The five saw a door swing open. As Kai turned his head around to see who was coming, his heart skipped a beat.

"Hi guys! I haven't seen you here in a while!" Skylor exclaimed as she came towards them, a hand on her hip. Kai gulped, and did his best to have a casual composure, but instead ending up having a stupid smile.

"What's wrong with you, Kai?" Nya asked. "Hi Skylor!"

"Hi Nya! Good to see you!" She faced Kai, and laughed: "Kai? Oh, sorry, I didn't see you!"

"Ah, eum... I did. I saw you." Kai said, and mentally face-palmed himself just after.

"Of course, it's hard to miss someone with hair like her's." Nya said.

"You know each other?" Jay asked, his eyes darting from one to the other.

"Yes, they in fact met each other yesterday." Zane stated, owing a scowl from Kai.

"Sweet." Cole commented.

"So, do you guys want me to get the menu or you've got your mind set? I'm guessing it's the ramen original for Cole?" She asked. Cole nodded.

"I'd like to try a new one," Jay said.

"Wait a moment, I'll get it right away." Skylor scurried back to the counter, and chucked the menu to Jay, who caught it with ease.

"Nice catch."

"Nice throw," Jay winked, and starting mumbling over the menu on what to take. Kai wondered if Cole brought them here on purpose. No, he couldn't have. He didn't even know Cole when he met the beautiful red-head. He took the menu that Jay passed to him, and skimmed his eyes over the menu. He decide to take the same as Cole, as he had no idea what to take.

"Phew. I'm full." Nya said as she slumped back in her seat, throwing her chopsticks on the table.

"The same," Zane sighed of contentment. "This was delicious."

"You bet! Skylor makes the best noodles in town!" Cole almost shouted. Jay looked ready to pass out.

"What's up, Jay?" Kai asked, feeling concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing. Jay always gets sleepy after eating well." Nya chuckled. "Like a baby."

Jay hardly took notice of what she said. He still mumbled:

"I'm not a baby. But my stomach's about to explode!"

All of a sudden, a violent shock wave hit the shop. Everyone screamed as the tables and chairs flung into the air. The windows shattered, and the curtains were jerked off their place.

"What's going on?!" Jay shrieked, fully awake by now.

"I don't know!" Nya answered, her eyes full of fear. Kai reflexively grabbed her wrist, and drew her closer to him. Nya, who usually didn't like to be protected, clutched tightly on her brother's arms with her hands.

The five of them screamed once more as another wave hot them. Zane, who was closer to the windows than any of them, was sent flying over their heads to crash into the wall, being hit by a table. He groaned, and his body twisted in pain.

"ZANE!" They all shouted at the same time. Kai scrambled over to him, and scooped his hand under his friend's neck.

"Zane! Zane!" He repeated over and over. He took his arm, and proceeded to wrap it over his shoulders to help him walk. Zane whimpered in pain. Jay scooted over, and said:

"Kai, don't move him. You'll only hurt him worse."

Amber eyes met electric blue eyes. Kai tried to say something, but he reluctantly put Zane's head down onto his laps.

"But we have to move! We can't just wait for the next wave to come!" Nya protested. The others nodded. They were about to gently lift the injured as someone appeared from nowhere.

"Who are you?! Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" Kai yelled as the boy, with a mop of golden hair knelt beside Zane, grabbing his jaws to pry it open. Kai shoved his aside, but the stranger wasn't the least discouraged. He jumped back on his feet, and explained:

"Don't worry, this is just medication to prevent shock trauma. This kind of shock can easily damage the brain, so your friend needs to be treated as fast as possible." His deep, forest green eyes locked with Kai's. Somehow, Kai felt that he could trust this young boy. He nodded, but was shaken as another wave made them tremble. Zane yelled out in agonizing pain, before passing out. The blond boy put the pill in Zane's mouth with swift movements, and said:

"Everyone follow me! We can't stay here any longer!" As if on cue, the ceiling started to crumble, making dust float in the air. Cole gently took Zane in his arms. The new comer banged onto the back door, and yelled:

"Skylor! Skylor, open the door!" As nobody answered, he took a few steps backwards, and gave a swift, precise kick to the door, smashing it open. Jay's eyes opened larger.

"Come on! Quickly!" The boy gestured them to come. Cole stepped in first, followed by Nya, Kai, Jay in order, and the blond closed the door behind them. He frantically searched for something on the wall. In this closed place, everyone could hear each other's shagged breaths. They gasped as a light flickered on, lighting up the room dimly. Kai noticed that the stranger was wearing a pair of thick trousers, with metal patches on the knees and elbows. He wore a dark green jacket, which was seemingly bulletproof. Almost every inch of his body was covered in thick materiel, except for his face. Kai deduced that there was something strange going on. How could such a young boy, of about two years younger than him, be dressed as if on a war, and possess fighting skills? His precise movements and his kick just proved it. But he didn't have the time to think all through it as he was shoved into a room even more smaller than the previous.

The young fighter smashed down a lever with a grunt, and the six of them went whooshing down into the darkness. Kai gasped. It seemed like they were on a elevator, only that this one was going even faster and that it had merely a railing instead of walls.

"What were those waves?" Jay was the first to ask.

"They were bombs. Didn't you hear the explosions?"

Nobody answered. The boy in green sighed, and passed his fingers through his hair, exhausted.

As they went deeper and deeper, Kai looked up at the light that was decreasing in size. He felt a twinge in his heart as he thought about his parents. He wondered if they were alright... Were they thinking about him? Did he miss them? He felt a bit guilty for having left them like that. Then again, wasn't that what they wanted? For him to leave?

* * *

 **Dadadam! Tell me what you thought about this chapter in your reviews! ^^ And I promise, Pixal will be there in the next chapter. Along with others.**

 **Bye! See you in the next chapter!**


	9. Inotchi

Chapter 9: Inotchi

The five of them coughed as the elevator came to a sudden stop. And of course, the sixth lay limp in Cole's grasps. The young boy in green approached Cole, and spread out his arms to take the unconscious boy. Kai interfered between them, and declared:

"Sorry, but I don't trust you. Who are you? Why would you want to help us? What do you want in return?"

"Kai! This isn't the moment!" His sister cried out. Kai ignored her.

"And I'm not going to let a friend fall into any stranger's dirty hands."

"KAI!"

"I need answers!" The young boy yelled, and gave an insistent look at the blond. The stranger just gazed at him, his expression somewhere between irritation and amusement. Cole and Jay looked anxiously at each other.

"I don't like where this is going," Jay muttered under his breath.

The blond shrugged, and said:

"If you really want to know, I'll just tell you. Even though that even if I tell you who I am, you still won't trust me."

"My name is Lloyd Garmadon, and I'm just helping people who were about to die smashed by a noodle shop. I want to help you because I know that you are all good people. And I don't ask anything in return, except that I want you all to follow me where you'd all be safe. Plus, your friend needs to be treated quickly," he finished as he scooped Zane with ease from the raven-haired boy's arms, and gave a kick in the wall, who creaked open to let into a narrow passage. Lloyd led the way with Jay, Nya and Cole following close behind, and Kai who pouted at the naïvety of the others, while trudging behind. Lloyd looked over his shoulder once in a while to assure that they were following.

In less than a minute, which seemed like an eternity to everyone, they were out in a spacious zone. Nya shuddered as cold wind howled by her ears, and clutched her overall tighter. She didn't have the slightest idea of their destination, but her guts told her that she could trust the boy. Anyway, she's spent half of her life relying on her guts.

* * *

The woman's eyes fluttered as she regained consciousness.

How long has it been that I'm out?

She wondered. Maya assembled all her forces, and sat up slowly. She let out a shaky breath as she contested the ruin surrounding her, a place that she once used to call home. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized how close she has been to the gate of death, and it was only when she held out her hand, but found no hand to hold that she noticed of her husband's absence.

"Ray?" No answer. "Ray? Where are you?!" The wife called, her heart beating madly as she scrambled up onto her feet. But her feet gave up on her, making her fall down head-first. She whimpered as she felt warm liquid trickling down her forehead. Her breath stuck in her throat as an image of her loved one, probably trapped underneath the rubble. Maya forced herself up again, this time not caring wether she could stand it or not. She had to do this.

"Ray! Ray! Answer me!" She screamed. Her thoughts reeled back towards her son. She hoped that he was safe. At least he wasn't in the house when the explosions started...

The explosions. Sixteen years of absence, and suddenly, such a violent act. Maya felt filled of confusion and frustration. Why would they do this? How did they find out where the family lived? From the year when Kai was born, they hadn't been bothered to even give a sign of life, and now, this?! She didn't understand. But all she wanted to know now was that her husband was safe... She did her best to ignore the small voice in her head, who whispered that... Maybe he wasn't there anymore. Maybe he's dead.

Suddenly, Maya heard coughs from her further right. She scrambled up, and bolted over. Tears of relief stung her eyes as she threw her arms over her husband. Ray composed himself, and leant into his wife's arms.

"So this is it." He said.

"What?"

"This is the start of the War, isn't it?"

"I guess it is." Maya sighed. "What about the children? D you think they're ready to face this?"

"I am not sure. But I trust Kai. I've trained him well."

"But don't you regret any of this?" His wife said softly. "Because I do. Why did we have to make him hate us? We could have explained him..."

"He wouldn't have understood. He wouldn't have wanted to." Ray sighed. "But yes, I do. I do regret."

"If only Kai could hear us now... I wonder where he is now..."

* * *

"May I ask again, where are we?" Jay asked, his hands crossed. Kai, who sat next to him, grunted as Jay's elbow stuck into his ribs. The six of them were all squeezed in a sofa, with Nya and Lloyd on the arms because of the lack of space. Kai looked anxiously straight in front of him, lost in his thoughts. Right now, the six of them were waiting for somebody that Lloyd called Android, who had told them by a call to wait for her there.

"Because I don't like to be in a place that I don't know, and the fact that we're dozens of meters underneath the ground doesn't make anything better." Jay continued. "Well, as I think that nobody appreciated being in this rat hole, am I right? Oh, maybe not rat hole, rats don't dig this deep. Mole hole, then! Or worm-hole?"

"Just stop talking, will you, Jay?!" Kai grunted.

"I believe that a new species of worms have been discovered not long ago, named «Halicephalobus mephisto» which refers to the demon Mephistopheles, as the worm is also called «the worm from hell» as it lives at least 0.8 miles or 1.3 kilometers underground." Zane took a pause. "And if you want to compare us to the creatures underground, for information, the mole digs only about the surface." Zane, who had woken up not long ago, was comfortably settled between Kai and Nya, after having received extra treatment from Lloyd.

"Eww." Nya's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Worm-hole seems right." Jay said, satisfied. "Wait. But does that mean that we're worms?"

Lloyd giggled, but interrupted himself as everyone's heads turned to him, and looked down.

"Hey guys, what about introducing ourselves to each other? The kid just saved our lives! So hi, my name's Jay Walker. Here's my friends... Hey, Kai! Where are you going?!"

"Somewhere faraway from you!" The boy yelled back. Jay looked hurt. Nya's eyes darted between her brother and her friend.

"Sorry Jay, he didn't mean it. I don't know what's got into him."

"It's okay. I... Kinda understand."

"Thanks, Jay." she said, and ran after Kai.

Jay understood Kai's impatience. He knew that Kai was being worried for his family, just as much as he did. Jay wondered how his parents were doing. He was just glad that they lived a bit far from the city, so... Yeah. They're probably okay.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Cole, who had been silent for the whole time, spoke up.

"Who? Me? Hah, no. I'm not worried! Just wondering how Ma and Pa's doing. You think they're alright? Do you think they're mad at me? I hope they aren't too worry for me, I don't want them to worry."

Cole scoffed.

"Hey. They're okay, I'm sure. And who would worry for you?"

Jay looked up at him with concern.

"They wouldn't?"

"Just kidding. Of course they worry for you, but they know how well you get by on your own." Cole put an arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah. I guess so," Jay sighed, and put his head on Cole's arm.

Lloyd sat on the other edge of the sofa, staring at the two without knowing it. As Cole's ash grey eyes locked with Lloyd's big, emerald eyes, it sent shivers up his spine. Cole cleared his throat.

"Ahem."

Lloyd looked away. Jay, feeling the tension in the air, sat up and said:

"So... Your name's Lloyd, right?"

"Yeah." The boy answered softly.

"Th... Thanks for saving us back there."

"No big deal." Lloyd shrugged. Jay bit his lower lip. How come he can't find anything to say?

"Uh... I'm Jay. Jay Walker. Nice to... meet you?" Jay took out a hand.

"Nice to meet you, Jay." Lloyd shook the hand, and the corners of his lips slightly lifted up. Jay gave an insistent look to Cole.

"Oh, I'm Cole Brookstone."

"Did you just say Brookstone?!" The young boy exclaimed.

"...Yes? Is there something?"

"There was something... It's not the first time I heard of this name..."

Jay and Cole gave a look to each other.

"Never mind. Nice to meet you, Cole." Lloyd smiled.

"By the way, where's Zane?" Cole asked, seeing that half of the sofa was empty.

"I don't know. Maybe he went after Kai?" Jay suggested.

"Maybe, yeah. But where did Kai go?"

* * *

"Kai! Kai, wait up!" Nya shouted. Her footsteps echoed as they bounced off the walls. They were in a hallway, and she could distinctly see her brother's body's outline marching further away from her. Nya grunted, and sped up to a run, and caught him up, catching him by the arm and turning him to face her.

"Kai! What's got into you?"

Seeing Kai's frustrated face, she calmed down.

"Tell me what's bothering you. I want to help you."

Her elder brother sighed. He let himself slide down the wall, and beckoned Nya to come to sit next to him. Nya plopped down to a sit.

"It all started before you were born. I made a friend. One that will be with me forever. We promised each other to look out for each other, but... Now I'm not even sure if I can make it. I'm not even sure if he needs me, now that... You know. We have others. Then there's... Our parents. I think... I think that, from when you left, they... They hate me. With all their guts."

"Oh Kai... I'm sure that they don't. Maybe they had their own reason."

He knew that his sister was being patient. He knew that somewhere, deep down in what she said, there was some truth. He still desperately wanted to believe that his parents loved him.

"Then why don't they tell me? What could be more important than loving their own children?..." He said quietly, his eyes shining.

This last question was left unanswered.

* * *

Lloyd frowned when a loud speaker squeaked, causing everyone to cringe and groan.

"Everyone assemble in..." The loudspeaker crackled, and after a few bangs from whoever was talking, the same feminine voice came, with the same monotone tone.

"Everyone assemble in the Great Hall of Inotchi. Right Now."

Lloyd got up, and offered a hand to Zane, who politely declined it. Instead, he said:

"I'm going to search for Kai and Nya."

"No, I'll do it!" Jay said, hopping. "I know where they went, and plus, you're hurt! I'll go faster."

"But..."

"Nah nah! No running for now, Zane! I'll be back in a minute, just wait for me here." Jay rushed off, leaving Lloyd to sigh, wondering how he would be scold by Android, who told them to come right now to the Great Hall. She clearly insisted on the Now.

* * *

 **So, hi everyone! It's been... FOUR months that I haven't done anything. Sorry for the inconveniences! I hope that you will all still all like my story! Thank you to all who read until now, I'm very happy about that!**


End file.
